HAPI Shorts

The highway engineering community has been routinely using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for many applications including: mapping type and thickness of pavement layers, detection of subsurface voids and subgrade moisture, deterioration in concrete pavements, rebar corrosion surveys, overlay debonding, etc. Recent investigations reveal potential of GPR to estimate density of newly placed asphalt layer. This presentation covers a review of recent and ongoing research, and a field experiment in Ohio to validate the applicability of GPR device for in-place density measurements.

Thickness of pavement layers is an important input for various routine activities such as: developing Pavement Management System, analysis of FWD data, overlay design, performance prediction, failure investigations and so on. Currently most agencies rely on core samples or sometimes the least historic documents. GPR is being used by many State DOTs and a few local agencies during the last decade to non-destructively collect pavement structure data. Several case studies are available comparing thickness of pavement layers from GPR and core samples. In this presentation, we compile a few case studies, reported margin of error and field variables affecting the results.

Balanced Mix Design (BMD) is coming soon to Hawaii. Working together, HDOT and HAPI, moving forward with the implementation.

BMD is an enhanced approach to designing asphalt paving mixtures to achieve a satisfactory balance between rutting resistance and crack resistance. It promises to result in longer lasting asphalt pavements.

This session will cover the basics of BMD and what’s happening in other states.

High-Friction Surface Treatment (HSFT) is not a new product, but it is something relatively new to streets and highways in Hawaii. What is a HFST, where is it used, and how is it installed? Learn how a HSFT improves the safety of the road.

An Intro to Open-Graded Mixes will answer the following questions:
– What are open graded mixes?
– Differences from dense graded mixes?
– Where have they been used in Hawaii?
– Where could they be used in the future?
– What’s next?

This session is an overview of the design of perpetual pavements. Since 2001, the APA’s Perpetual Pavement Award program has recognized over 150 long-life pavements in 31 U.S. states and one Canadian province. These roads were all at least 35 years old when honored and had never experienced a structural failure. To qualify, a road could not have had more than 4 inches of new material added over the previous 35 years, and it could not have been resurfaced more frequently than once every 13 years.

This session will introduce Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA). SMA is a gap-graded hot mix asphalt (HMA) originally developed in Europe to maximize rutting resistance and durability. The mix design goal is to create stone-on-stone contact within the mixture. Since aggregates do not deform as much as asphalt binder under load, this stone-on-stone contact greatly reduces rutting.

In this session you will gain an understanding of the difference mixes that could be produced with a modified binder and what are the commonly used modifiers. The session will close with what modifier(s) is used in Hawaii and what agencies use mixes with modified binder.

This session will discuss the FHWA’s LTPP Distress Identification Manual. Attendees will learn the definitions/descriptions, severity levels, and how to measure the various distresses. It is not always possible to identify the causes of the distress by only an observation of the pavement surface. The session will note items that may be indicative of the cause.

Meeting and exceeding asphalt construction specifications on field projects relies on proper paving equipment maintenance, setup, and operation. This session will focus on what to look for on the paving equipment when you see mat defects.

The purpose for sampling is to obtain an uncontaminated and representative sample of the material. Proper sampling is just as important as proper testing. Only a small portion of the total material placed is tested, so samples represent large investments. Samples must be randomly obtained.

This session will review the methodology used by HDOT for randomly determining the sampling location of uncompacted mix and cores from the mat, and location of cores along the longitudinal joint.

Our HDOT has a smoothness specification for construction of new and resurfacing of existing asphalt paved roads. This session is an introduction to smoothness and will cover:
– What is pavement smoothness
– What affects pavement smoothness
– Key terms used such as IRI
– Equipment used to measure smoothness
In addition to our speaker, HAPI members Ames Engineering, Inc. and SSI will be on hand for questions and answers.

It is important that the desired asphalt mix gets specified on the plans and in the specifications. This presentation reviews aggregate gradations and binders used in Hawaii and how they are shown in the plans and specifications.

In this session, you are the inspector at paving project site. The participants will view short (30-120 second) videos of various paving situations. After viewing each video, a group discussion moderated by the instructor will be conducted about the situation shown in the video.

Each session will feature different videos.

Dr. Arudi (Raj) Rajagopal is the president of Infrastructure Management and Engineering, a company that specializes in pavement design, evaluation, and management related programs. He was formerly a Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Cincinnati for over 12 years and University of Mississippi for 2 1/2 years. Dr. Rajagopal has published numerous articles and reports. He has used GPR for pavement type and thickness determination, to detect underground utilities, pavement structural analysis along with FWD etc. Dr. Rajagopal has served as Principal Investigator for several Ohio DOT research contracts including the one to investigate the applicability of GPR to measure asphalt density.

Bio is forthcoming

Chris Lubbers currently serves as technical sales and market development manager for emulsions in Kraton Polymers’ Paving and Roofing business unit headquartered in Houston, TX. He received a B.S in Chemical Engineering from Ohio University and an M.S in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Chris has spent the past sixteen years in the asphalt industry, primarily focused on polymer-modified emulsions and hot-mix paving binders as well as polymer-modified roofing membranes. He is an active member of AI, AEMA, AMAP, and the various regional pavement preservation partnerships (PPP’s) and user-producer groups (UPG’s).

Jarrett Welch is the President of Quality Paving Consultants. With over two decades of experience in the asphalt paving and construction business, he has become recognized as an expert and leader in the industry. Jarrett is well versed in aggregates, mixture designs, production and placement of asphalt pavement and new technologies. During his career he has assisted in the development and implementations of several specifications, writes for publications, and currently serves on many state and national committees.

Jon Young has been the Executive Director of HAPI for over 9 years. Previous to that he spent 10 years as a Senior Project Manager at Belt Collins Hawaii (BCH). Before BCH he spent 10 years as the Design and Construction Site Development Manager for Gentry Homes, Ltd. His experiences have provided him the ability to see projects from the designer, contractor, and owner perspective.

Michael (Mike) Huner has worked for more than 25 years in various aspects of the asphalt industry ranging from Research & Testing to Field Engineering to Technical Services. He spent the first seven years of his professional career working for the National Center for Asphalt Technology at Auburn University, while simultaneously earning a Master’s degree in Pavement Materials. He spent the next five years as a Field Engineer for the Asphalt Institute, and then two more with an asphalt materials company, SemMaterials. Finally, before starting his current consulting business, he spent five years as the Technical Services Director for the Asphalt Division of the Tennessee Road Builders Association. Mike holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering and is a registered professional engineer in the states of Alabama and Tennessee.

Todd has been in the asphalt paving and construction business for over 25 years, working as an asphalt laboratory and field technician, laboratory manager, field inspector, paving quality manager and quality control manager for both government and private employers in both Canada and the United States. He has a passion for quality paving and for testing new and innovative paving equipment, technology and paving practices.